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Three teenage girls from Graz have been detained in custody in Jakomini prison after allegedly planning to leave Austria for Syria where they intended to marry Islamic State fighters.

The girls, aged 15, 16 and 19, are reported to be originally from Chechnya.

According to the Kronen Zeitung newspaper they were able to communicate with jihadists after getting in touch with a 16-year-old Bosnian girl from Salzburg and her 17-year-old friend, who had tried to travel to Syria via Romania at the end of last year but were stopped by police.

The three girls had communicated with the women from Salzburg over the phone and had also been in contact with men in Syria, prosecutor Christian Kroschl confirmed.

All three had planned to marry Islamic State fighters and the 16-year-old had even participated in a “marriage ceremony” with a jihadist via Skype.

Kroschl said that the eldest girl had already planned her departure by plane from Vienna on April 24th and had purchased a ticket.

The girls - two are students, and one is learning to be a hairdresser - will be held in custody until April 7th.

They were arrested last Friday, and are likely to be charged with participation in a terrorist organization.